BlackBerry (BBRY) fans were upset to hear that Sprint (S) decided to pass on the company’s flagship smartphone. The carrier confirmed that it would not offer the BlackBerry Z10 and instead would only carry the QWERTY keyboard equipped BlackBerry Q10 later this year. According to a report from AllThingsD, however, Sprint will launch a different all-touch BlackBerry smartphone sometime in the second half of 2013. The device is described as a “follow-on handset” to the Z10 and not just a slightly modified version of the smartphone that is being offered by AT&T (T), Verizon (VZ) and T-Mobile.

BlackBerry’s (BBRY) next-generation BlackBerry Z10 smartphone will finally become available on AT&T (T) beginning March 22nd. The nation’s No.2 carrier announced on Monday that it will begin taking preorders for the BlackBerry Z10 on March 12th ahead of the phone’s release next Friday. The Z10 will cost $199.99 with a two-year agreement, as expected, and customers can register on AT&T’s website to be notified as soon as preorders go live. BGR reviewed the BlackBerry Z10 last month and called it a huge step in the right direction, but we wondered if it would be enough to draw a significant number of users from more established platforms. AT&T’s full press release follows below. More →

A large part of why BlackBerry (BBRY) has survived over the past two years is because of the success it has achieved in emerging markets such as India and Indonesia. Chief executive Thorsten Heins confirmed that the company is readying less expensive devices for those markets and will look to continue to build its market share, however it has no plans of competing with any bargain-bin Asian rivals. More →

UK’s leading mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse has cut the monthly package price of the BlackBerry Z10 from £36 to £29. That amounts to a £160 (or $240) price drop over the life of a 24-month contract. Vodafone is also now offering a package deal that is £72 cheaper than its previous one. The new monthly price for BlackBerry’s (BBRY) Z10 at Carphone Warehouse is on par with the monthly package for Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone 4S, so it now sits squarely in the mid-range smartphone price bracket. The Z10 does retain a £29 upfront fee since it’s a new model; older handsets such as the iPhone 4S come free with a two-year deal.

BGR confirmed some of the best news BlackBerry could possibly get late last week, but not everyone is convinced that the BlackBerry Z10 will have the same draw in the United States. The nation’s No.3 carrier Sprint (S) recently confirmed to Bloomberg that it will be the only top carrier in the U.S. to pass on BlackBerry’s (BBRY) first next-generation smartphone. Instead, Sprint will wait for the BlackBerry Q10 before it gives the new BlackBerry 10 platform any support. “We aren’t saying there’s anything different about our customers,” a Sprint spokesperson said. “We think our customers will be happy with the qwerty keyboard and touch screen on the Q10.”

Following a string of analyst downgrades — and a note from MKM Partners suggesting there’s a 90% chance BlackBerry 10 flops — BlackBerry (BBRY) got a boost Monday on news that its new BlackBerry Z10 smartphone is outselling Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone 5 and Samsung’s (005930) flagship Galaxy S III at a major Canadian retailer. Glentel on Monday said in a statement that since the BlackBerry Z10 launched on February 5th, it has been “the leading smartphone” sold through retailer’s stores, The Globe and Mail reports. The company owns 330 retail outlets across Canada. More →